We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

Beautiful weekends are meant for many things – playing hooky from work (okay, so I used a vacation day), planting flowers, building patios (GO, STEVE!), cleaning bathrooms (wait…how’d that get in there?), playdates, and outings to the zoo. Friday was the perfect day to do most of these, and the rest of the weekend played host to the others. Samantha was still on Spring Break from school, Steve happened to not have to work, and I took the day off. The weather was unseasonably warm for early April, but we’ve come to expect “unseasonable” here in the mid-Atlantic. We always do. (I think that’s what I like about living here – you never know what to expect from one day to the next. As if 19” of snow weren’t enough in December, hey! Let’s try 50” in February!)

Anyway, on Friday we took Samantha to a local farm zoo. I remember 20-something years ago, before this area was built up to what it is now, I would see the camels and ostriches roaming over the hills of the large enclosure as I drove by to visit friends. It was a startling sight if you weren’t expecting it, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But the signage has gotten larger and more prominent, and the area surrounding it has been developed beyond recognition. Now, with a small child, I have discovered what other wonders live on the other side of the gate. It’s perfect for children, with small monkeys, exotic birds, kangaroos, zebras and sheep and goats to pet and feed. The sheep/goat enclosure was definitely the highlight for Samantha. This child has no fear (except of playground equipment – go figure). Samantha did get nipped by a kangaroo, however, which put a damper on the rest of her visit. Crying made her particularly tired, and she became somewhat uncooperative until we left. No permanent damage was done, fortunately. But how cool is it to say you’d been bitten by a kangaroo? Okay, maybe not so cool. But different, for sure.

A tractor ride took us out into the big field, where we could get up close and personal to some other large animals (can’t identify the big thing with the horns, but we had to sit waaaay back from the edge to avoid getting gored). As we were disembarking, some lady kept saying over and over to us and then her children, how beautiful and sweet Samantha was. I smiled and said “thank you” the first time, but then began to ignore it. I felt that while her intentions were good, and yes, I know Samantha’s beautiful, she may have been a little over-the-top. Did she think I needed to hear it? Did she suddenly get stuck on that broken record thing that often happens to people when they don’t know what to say when faced with someone with a disability (or is that just me?)? Did she really mean it and was so dazzled that she had to say it numerous times, whether or not I was facing her/acknowledging her? Interesting. Have any of you experienced the same sort of reactions from people?





Big Thing with Horns

Peek a Boo with Sammi's Blankie


Kangaroo Love Bite

Tears